Coastal Systems – AQA/Edexcel A Level Geography
Evaluate the view that coastal management policies are mainly based
on economic judgements. (20 marks)
P1: Advance the line
- The creation or establishment of new defences
- Sea walls, groynes etc are often used to advance the line
- They are based upon environmental judgements - looking at the rate of
recession/erosion, etc
- Economic judgements are also very important; the cost-benefit analysis of hard
engineering methods involved in 'advance the line' approach is very important
- This means that economically valuable areas, for example those with larger
towns or settlements with higher populations, will tend to receive an 'advance
the line' approach to protect against the possible economic damage associated
with further erosion/unmanaged coastal recession
- Many areas along the Holderness coast receive 'advance the line' due to their
economic significance; important components of transport infrastructure, both
roads and railways, can also be protected due to the economic costs associated
with diversions
- On the other hand, environmental judgements can also be significant - Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are often protected and may therefore
receive the 'advance the line' approach because of their environmental
importance and significance - Dorset
P2: Hold the line
- Hold the line refers to the management of the coast by maintaining current
defences
- Can refer to both hard and soft engineering
- This approach - and others - are often based upon Environmental Impact
Assessments, which enable for detailed investigation of the possible impacts of
erosion and of a lack of intervention to understand how environmentally
necessary it is to implement a particular strategy
- EIAs will look at the possible consequences for different habitats and different
species along the coast
- Again, economic judgements will be useful here - there will be analysis of the
economic justification of more defences against the possible impacts of holding
the line and how much damage the infrastructure and communities could
withstand
- Hard engineering management can be extremely expensive (between £1,000-
£4,000 per metre) - therefore economic judgement is very important, as the cost
, of updating and improving current methods can be very expensive/huge drain on
local resources
P3: Managed retreat/strategic alignment
- Refers to allowing the coast to recede/erode naturally for the most part, but
maybe with some management to dictate its direction
- Used in areas of the US - West coast
- Economic judgements remain important; this approach will be used in areas
that could be developed but are not justifiable compared to the cost of defence
- With managed retreat, there are highly influential environmental considerations
- for example, an area may receive managed retreat approach if it could impact
the wider coast if defences were installed
- Example - Happisburgh, North Norfolk, is received a managed
retreat/realignment strategy because any construction of defences like sea walls
or groynes could worsen impacts along the coast, for example heightened
longshore drift or possible sediment starvation
P4: No active intervention
- This refers to an approach where there are no defences or engineering
implemented in an area
- Enables erosion and coastal flooding to occur without management
- This occurs mainly because of economic judgements; governments/councils will
not spend money unnecessarily
- Typically occurs in farmland or land that has not been developed as a result of
the lower costs involved with losing the land to erosion
- Again, cost-benefit analysis - cost of defences would outweigh the economic
loss associated with the loss/flooding of that land
With reference to one or more coastal environments that you have
studied, assess the potential impact of climate change on the
development of landforms. (20 marks)
P1: Erosion and weathering
- Accelerated rates of erosion due to climate change; higher water levels mean
that erosion is more significant
- Low-lying land can be impacted most significantly
- More erosional landforms such as stacks/stumps etc forming
- Weathering will also accelerate; climate change will cause weathering rates to
increase as wind speeds could rise, rainfall levels could rise, and more extreme
weather will likely occur
Evaluate the view that coastal management policies are mainly based
on economic judgements. (20 marks)
P1: Advance the line
- The creation or establishment of new defences
- Sea walls, groynes etc are often used to advance the line
- They are based upon environmental judgements - looking at the rate of
recession/erosion, etc
- Economic judgements are also very important; the cost-benefit analysis of hard
engineering methods involved in 'advance the line' approach is very important
- This means that economically valuable areas, for example those with larger
towns or settlements with higher populations, will tend to receive an 'advance
the line' approach to protect against the possible economic damage associated
with further erosion/unmanaged coastal recession
- Many areas along the Holderness coast receive 'advance the line' due to their
economic significance; important components of transport infrastructure, both
roads and railways, can also be protected due to the economic costs associated
with diversions
- On the other hand, environmental judgements can also be significant - Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are often protected and may therefore
receive the 'advance the line' approach because of their environmental
importance and significance - Dorset
P2: Hold the line
- Hold the line refers to the management of the coast by maintaining current
defences
- Can refer to both hard and soft engineering
- This approach - and others - are often based upon Environmental Impact
Assessments, which enable for detailed investigation of the possible impacts of
erosion and of a lack of intervention to understand how environmentally
necessary it is to implement a particular strategy
- EIAs will look at the possible consequences for different habitats and different
species along the coast
- Again, economic judgements will be useful here - there will be analysis of the
economic justification of more defences against the possible impacts of holding
the line and how much damage the infrastructure and communities could
withstand
- Hard engineering management can be extremely expensive (between £1,000-
£4,000 per metre) - therefore economic judgement is very important, as the cost
, of updating and improving current methods can be very expensive/huge drain on
local resources
P3: Managed retreat/strategic alignment
- Refers to allowing the coast to recede/erode naturally for the most part, but
maybe with some management to dictate its direction
- Used in areas of the US - West coast
- Economic judgements remain important; this approach will be used in areas
that could be developed but are not justifiable compared to the cost of defence
- With managed retreat, there are highly influential environmental considerations
- for example, an area may receive managed retreat approach if it could impact
the wider coast if defences were installed
- Example - Happisburgh, North Norfolk, is received a managed
retreat/realignment strategy because any construction of defences like sea walls
or groynes could worsen impacts along the coast, for example heightened
longshore drift or possible sediment starvation
P4: No active intervention
- This refers to an approach where there are no defences or engineering
implemented in an area
- Enables erosion and coastal flooding to occur without management
- This occurs mainly because of economic judgements; governments/councils will
not spend money unnecessarily
- Typically occurs in farmland or land that has not been developed as a result of
the lower costs involved with losing the land to erosion
- Again, cost-benefit analysis - cost of defences would outweigh the economic
loss associated with the loss/flooding of that land
With reference to one or more coastal environments that you have
studied, assess the potential impact of climate change on the
development of landforms. (20 marks)
P1: Erosion and weathering
- Accelerated rates of erosion due to climate change; higher water levels mean
that erosion is more significant
- Low-lying land can be impacted most significantly
- More erosional landforms such as stacks/stumps etc forming
- Weathering will also accelerate; climate change will cause weathering rates to
increase as wind speeds could rise, rainfall levels could rise, and more extreme
weather will likely occur
